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It was the hit that changed a little history, at least for the 49ers, and the Cardinals were the ones that delivered it. There is some irony there, given that the two are rivals now, because back in 1999, they most certainly weren’t.

Back in 1999, the Cards were coming off their magical 1998 playoff appearance. The 49ers were still one of the best teams in the league. San Francisco was due to visit Sun Devil Stadium in a game that was rare on many levels. It was “Monday Night Football,” only the third time the Cards had been on MNF since coming to Arizona (and long before 49er-Cardinal games became practically annual Monday night viewing). Playing the 49ers didn’t happen often. The Cards were still in the NFC East. The 1999 game was only the third time SF would play in Arizona – although the first one remained (and still remains) a classic for Cards fans.

Then came the game. Young had piloted the Niners to a 17-0 when, late in the first half, Young was sandwiched by cornerbacks Williams and J.J. McCleskey coming on blitzes from each side. Williams drilled Young in the chest, and Young’s head banged into a teammate’s knee on his way to the turf. He was down and out, replaced by an unknown named Jeff Garcia, who threw for just 30 yards while the Niners held on to a 24-10 win.

Young was worried about his future, but wanted to keep playing football. Even the following June, Williams talked about how he wanted Young to keep playing. But a few days later, Young finally was forced to admit his career was over, while Williams recounted that night. “I remember it being really quiet, and seeing him laid out on the field,” Williams said. Young never did play again after Williams hit him.

In 2008, the Niners came to play the Cards in Arizona for “Monday Night Football.” Williams was there as alumni captain, and Young was too as part of the ESPN television crew. It made sense to bring up the story, and Young was asked if he would talk about that night at Sun Devil Stadium. He made clear it wasn’t a subject he wanted to re-visit. I’d imagine if the same scenario came up again, in the context of today’s Cardinals-49ers relationship, it’d be an even bigger sore spot.

Back in 2007, Kurt Warner suffered a nasty elbow injury when Carolina’s Julius Peppers fell on it while the two scrambled for a fumble, and the Cardinals were in trouble.

See, the week before, Matt Leinart had broken his collarbone and was out for the season. The Cards were only carrying two quarterbacks at the time, so, Tim Rattay came in off the street to back up Warner. And then Warner went down. Rattay played the rest of that game against the Panthers — a loss, even though the Panthers also had to bring Vinny Testaverde off the street to play QB because of injuries — and the offense looked understandably disheveled.

Warner came back the next week, amazingly, playing with a bad left elbow. Warner had to deal with pain and a funky brace, but the alternative was using Rattay (pictured below) when he just didn’t know what he was doing.

There is a reason teams aren’t adding quarterbacks midseason and then using them. Heck, there is a reason teams bring back players they have already cut if someone is needed — think Onrea Jones — instead of looking elsewhere. If you need to plug someone in right away, you want someone who knows the system. That’s why a trade (however silly the idea) of someone like Kevin Kolb would not work in the short-term even if he was available. Or why a team is going to be hesitant to claim a Trent Edwards and put him on the field right away.

There’s a reason Leinart, when he signed with the Texans, had no immediate chance to be the backup even over journeyman Dan Orlovsky. Orlovsky had been with the Texans all offseason. He knew the offense. Leinart didn’t/doesn’t. At best, it’ll be deep into the season before Leinart moves up the depth chart. This isn’t baseball or basketball, where a new player can slide right in and make an impact.

And in the case of the Cards, coach Ken Whisenhunt made the choice to go with the three quarterbacks he has now. He’s going to stick with that plan at least through the season (barring injury), which is why Derek Anderson remains entrenched as a starter and why, if the team were to make a change, rookie Max Hall would get the call rather than the Cards putting a call into, say, the UFL to see if ancient Jeff Garcia is available.